Manual safety lock for rear doors



9m; 10, 1961 T. E. KIRK MANUAL SAFETY LOCK FOR REAR DOORS Filed Nov. 18, 1959 A TTORNE Y United States Patent 3,003,803 MANUAL SAFETY LOCK FOR REAR DOORS Thomas E. Kirk, Anderson, Ind., assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Filed Nov. 18, 1959, Ser. No. 853,942 3 Claims. (Cl. 292--347) The present invention relates to a door locking mechanism of the type utilizing a garnish molding button which may be depressed to lock the door. The present invention is particularly concerned with means for locking the garnish molding button in its depressed or locked position so as to prevent the undesired unlocking of the vehicle door.

The garnish button door latch locking mechanism with which the present invention is concerned is of the type shown in Patent 2,877,043 to Leslie. With this type of mechanism the garnish molding button is depressed to lock the door and raised to unlock the door. It frequently happens, however, that after such door has been locked that it may inadvertently be unlocked, particularly by children, and under which circumstance it is possible for the door to be opened endangering the vehicle occupants. The present invention is intended to alleviate this problem by providing a simple means for locking the garnish molding button in its depressed or locked position.

More particularly the present invention includes a friction type locking device of what may be termed the collet type. In this instance, a cylindrical supporting sleeve having a threaded tapered portion at its inner end is mounted in concentric relation to the garnish molding locking button in combination with a rotatable looking collar which is disposed between the garnish molding button and the supporting sleeve. The collar includes a correspondingly tapered threaded portion which coacts with the supporting sleeve. To lock the garnish molding button in its depressed or locked position, the collar is rotated so as to thread the same relative to the supporting sleeve and thereby cause the collar to frictionally engage the button to retain the same in its locked position.

The details as well as other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from a perusal of the detailed description which follows.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a sectioned elevational view showing the subject invention as mounted on a vehicle door;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 3 is a bottom view of FIGURE 1, taken along line 33.

A vehicle door is shown generally at and includes a sill or garnish molding 12. A conventional door latch mechanism is shown at 14 and includes a locking lever 16 articulated to a garnish molding button 18 and control rod 20 to render the latch mechanism inoperative and prevent the door from being opened. The detailed operation of the garnish molding button and latch mechanism is set forth in the aforenoted Leslie patent. For present purposes it will sufiice to note that when garnish molding locking button 18 is in its depressed position the door is locked and when in its raised position the door is unlocked.

It is the purpose of the present invention to provide means for retaining the garnish molding locking button 18 in its depressed or locked position to prevent the inadvertent opening of the door. To this end a supporting sleeve 22 is mounted in an opening 24 in sill 12. Sleeve 22 extends within door 10 and includes a flange 26 and cars 28 which coact with the sill to retain the sleeve thereto. As best seen in FIGURE 3, cars 28 are adapted to coact with corresponding recesses 30 in sill 12 to prevent sleeve 22 from rotating relative to the sill.

Sleeve 22 has an enlarged opening 32 formed therethrough and through which garnish molding or sill button 18 is adapted to extend. Sleeve opening 32 terminates in an inwardly tapered threaded portion 34 which is adapted to coact with a locking collar 36 disposed within sleeve opening 32 and which also terminates in an inwardly tapered threaded shank portion 38. Collar 36 includes a shoulder or flange portion 40 from which a finger engaging tab 42 extends radially. Tab 42 permits an occupant to grasp and rotate collar 36. The tapered shank of collar 36 is longitudinally slotted at a plurality of places 44 rendering the shank flexible permitting it to frictionally grip garnish molding button 18.

The operation of the subject device is as follows: with locking collar 36 in its unlocked position, as shown in solid lines in FIGURE 2, there is a limited radial clearance between the locking collar shank 38 and button 18 permitting the latter to move longitudinally relative to the collar. In order to lock button 18 in its depressed or door locking position, collar 36 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in FIGURE 2, causing the collar to thread downwardly relative to support sleeve 22. Due to the tapered relationship between the sleeve and collar, the collar shank will be moved radially inwardly into frictional engagement with button 18 retaining the latter against undesired unlocking movement.

I claim:

1. A latch device disposed within a vehicle door and adapted to retain the door in a closed position, said device including a lock means for rendering said device inoperative thereby precluding opening of said door, said door including a sill, an opening formed in said sill and generally aligned with said lock means, a control rod extending through said opening and articulated at one end to said lock means, a button secured to said rod and extending through said sill opening, said button adapted to be movable with said rod relative to said sill to actuate said lock means, and means mounted on said sill for frictionally engaging said button to lock said button and control rod against movement, said means for locking the sill button and control rod against movement comprises a supporting sleeve mounted upon said sill, a longitudinal opening through said sleeve, said sleeve opening terminating in an inwardly tapered threaded portion, a locking collar disposed within said sleeve opening and including a longitudinal opening through which said button extends, said collar including an inwardly tapered shank portion adapted to coact with the tapered threaded portion of said sleeve, said collar being rotatable relative to said sleeve whereby said collar shank is adapted to frictionally engage with said button to lock the latter against movement.

2. A door locking mechanism as set forth in claim 1 in which said collar shank includes a plurality of longitudinal slots to facilitate frictional engagement between said collar and said button.

3. A door latch device as set forth in claim 1 in which the means for preventing sleeve rotation comprises a plurality of notches formed about the periphery of the sill opening and a plurality of fingers formed on said sleeve and extending within said notches.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,896,083 Harris Feb. 7, 1933 2,730,395 Rolando Ian. 10, 1956 2,768,854 Wasserman Oct. 30, 1956 2,779,619 Taylor Jan. 29, 1957 2,814,197 Probala et a1. Nov. 26, 1957 2,874,988 Sage et al. Feb. 24, 1959 

